Rollercoaster decapitates deer at theme park in Yorkshire
A deer has been decapitated while wandering too close to Europe's longest roller coaster in Yorkshire.
Passengers on the Ultimate at Lightwater Valley, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, were reportedly left showered in blood after the ride hit the young deer at a speed of around 50mph.
According to the Daily Mail, a spokeswoman for the Lightwater Valley theme park said: "We can confirm a young deer did unfortunately get hit by the Ultimate train on Saturday and was killed instantly.
"There is a large perimeter fence surrounding the theme park but occasionally wild animals do manage to stray onto the park during the night.
"After the incident the Ultimate was closed for 30 minutes while the ride was thoroughly checked and then normal operation resumed."
It wasn't the only problem the theme park encountered on Saturday. It also suffered multiple power failures, with visitors reporting of the pirate ship ride the Black Pearl being stuck upside down for around four minutes.
A father of two from Mowden, Darlington, who did not wish to be named, told the Northern Echo: "I knew there was something wrong.
"There was a bit of screaming but not too much. The maintenance men came and seemed to turn it off and on again and then it was fine."
According to the Express, it's not the first time a deer has been killed by the Ultimate rollercoaster.
In June 1994, a deer died after losing its legs when it wandered onto the track from a nearby forest.
The Ultimate opened in 1991, and its 1.5-mile track features drops of up to 100ft.
It is the longest rollercoaster in Europe and the second longest in the world, beaten only by the steel Dragon 2000 in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
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